


One Flew Over The Demons Nest

by Minus5Black



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Character Death, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Multi, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, mention of suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2018-10-31 00:16:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10887915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minus5Black/pseuds/Minus5Black
Summary: Death is something viewed may different ways by many different people, but what if I told you death isn't the end of your soul. What if I told you that everything you thought about death, angels and even demons was wrong.This was the pill I had to swallow, the life I was thrown into. Now all I can do is look for answers to the questions no one knows how to ask.





	1. Rise and shine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at Homestuck fan fiction. I have been a fan of homestuck for years now and finally, with the advice from other fan fiction authors, I will try my best to make this a good read. 
> 
> Also, this first chapter will be in the point of view of Cronus. In chapters to come it will be clear who’s pov you will be in.

Everything hurts when I go to move, like pins and needles all over my skin.

Expecting the worse I try and move my fingers and they wiggle fine, in the process touching something soft under me.

Now to try lifting my arm.

Even if moving hurts, its better then laying here at the mercy of who or whatever is around me.

I hear no one and nothing, it’s oddly quiet of any sound really, just the slow beating of my heart. Reaching up, I smooth my hand over my hair. It’s still as soft as I remember even if it is a matted mess.

Taking in a huge lungful of air I find its stale, as if I’ve been in an enclosed room for a few days. A faint memory tells me I know this from experience.

Next I try and sit up, it doesn’t end well. I smack my head off something above me before I can even get out of a laying down position.

“Fuck, that hurt,” I rub my forehead to rub the pain away.

Now that I’m awake my eyes start to adjust to the light or lack thereof in the small place. Can’t sit up so I’m forced to look down my body and what I see is blood chilling.

I’m in a box, a tight, human sized box. Dressed thankfully in a white dress shirt and simple black pants, no socks.

My breathing picks up and my heartbeat pounds in my ears, echoing off the walls of my container.

“Help! Fuck, get me out of here! I’m alive!” My voice echoes back to me, raspy from under use and full of panic.

Banging my hands into the box above me is all I can do along with my shouting. I don’t stop till my hands beg me to do so.

Panting hard now, my lungs burn and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest.

I don’t remember much, my name, my family, a glimpse of my life.

I can remember something being told to me as a child. Closing my eyes I try to remember it in detail.

_“When you panic the best thing to do is slow your heart rate and breathing down. The best way to do this is to get your mind thinking of other things. I find there are three things to get your mind concentrated. Who you are, what you were doing last, and what can be your next step.”_

This may just save my life so I do exactly that.

My name is Cronus Ampora, I’m twenty years old and I live with my dad and my brother. The last place I remember was being in my house, walking down the hallway at night to go to the bathroom. As for my next step, I guess all I can do is keep making some kind of sound and see if anyone can find me, where ever I am.

To keep this my plan I use my foot to bump the wall every so often, making a dull thud with each hit.

I can already feel my heart slowing down, the echo not as loud any more. My breathing slows as well till it’s as if I never got into that panic.

“Okay Cronus, look around,” I look around and feel the walls. Colder than the air around me, not wood but mettle. Seams where the walls meet.

It’s man-made, so this means other humans must be around somewhere.

Taking a deep breath my next though gets interrupted by a screeching sound, like steel against steel. It reverberates in my skull and makes me cover my ears in pain, it’s just so loud.

I hiss out of my teeth, it feels like my ears are going to start bleeding at this rate.

Then all the sudden it stops and I’m blinded.

I move from covering my ears to my eyes as light floods into the cramped box. Letting in little bits of light at a time, I peek open my eyes. It takes a little for my eyes to get used to such light after so long in the dark but when I can kind of see it’s a human figure I see, just a head and shoulders really.

“There’s the sleeping beauty, have a nice nap?” It’s a female voice, slightly harsh and joking.

“The fuck…” I sit up now that I’m able too. Taking my first look around the room I find I’m in a morgue.

Plenty of tables in the middle of the room for the incoming bodies of those who have died. Along the walls there are sets of knives and bars and other things used to cut into flesh, do an autopsy I guess.

Along the wall opposite of me there are two rows of square doors about the size of the box I am in, most likely holding more bodies or empty and waiting to be filled with new corpses. 

Everything smells like a hospital, way to clean all the time. Void of anything that could contaminate the bodies. To my nose, it’s overwhelming. 

Lastly, I spot a window to the outside, the only window. 

It’s dark outside, night time most likely. This also means no sunlight is making the light in the room, instead huge florescent bulbs light up the ceiling. Casting harsh, fake light down into my sore eyes. 

“Did…did I die?” I look to the girl in the room.

I best can describe her as a biker chick, a black crop top to cover what counts that is decorated with magenta patterns, two long as hell braids that drop down to the floor and jean shorts that come down to mid-thigh, a worn blue in color.

The air around her feels predatory, like she could and would off me at any second. Much different than the cold stagnant air in the box.

“You sure did bud. Welcome to the world, good old 2017. My name is Meenah.” She smirks at me.

It’s then I know I’m in for a treat.


	2. Angels and demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cronus
> 
> Sometimes it takes the bad times to make you see the good times as just that, good. 
> 
> Even with the good times its okay to be afraid.

I sit there in the box with my mouth open, not a sound coming out.

“So bud, what’s your handle?” She leans on the other doors next to my box.

I can’t respond thanks to my mind going over that date, 2017. How long have I been out?

“Bud? Earth to guy,” She waves a hand in front of my face.

“So…sorry…I’m just, wow.” I try to run my fingers though my hair and end up getting them caught in some knots.

“I know it’s a lot to take in for someone who’s been asleep for so long. I’ll take things slow, ok?” Her voice softens and her look does too.

“What’s going on?” I look her in her eyes. A bright magenta color looks back at me.

“Well, you died. I don’t know how but you died none the less.” She opens the box more making me grip the edges even more.

“Come on, let’s get you out of this box,” She smiles slightly and offers her hand to me.

I take her hand and find it just as cold as my own. She helps me get out of my prison and into the room. My feet touch the ground and my legs give out from not holding my weight for so long.

Dropping to my knees I put my hands on the floor. The rooms’ spinning around me and it hurts to breath, everything too bright and too loud.

A hand rubs at my back and Meenah’s voice gives me something to put my attention on.

“Hey now, stay with me. I know this is a lot to take in right now, it’s hard to believe and you’re probably scared. Waking up in a place you don’t know and all that jazz, that’s why I’m here. I help the new bloods.” She talks calmly to help me calm down and it works.

I use all my concentration to listen to her voice and slowly the room stops spinning, things come into focus and I can feel my heart slowly stop its frantic thudding.

“What happened to me?” I turn my head slightly so I can look her in the eyes.

“There’s no way to sugar coat this,” She bites her lip and keeps that one hand on my back to keep my shaking body steady.

“You aren’t a human any more, you died and your soul broke. You’re a demon now.” She finishes and looks to me for a reaction.

Demon…demon…demon.

The word pounds in my head like a jack hammer and I need to get away from it, away from her and all this.

I find whatever energy my body has and get to my feet. I make a mad dash for the only door in the room and slam them open and book it down the lonely white hall.

Sure I can hear her yelling at me to come back from behind me but that won’t make me stop, not now.

Everything warps around my vision, the halls twisting around me until I’m unable to run straight.

Stumbling, I catch something with my hand before I go down. Pain in my hand now adds to what’s all over. The ringing in my ears, the stabbing feeling in my limbs, the burring of my eyes.

It’s like the box all over again, my heart thuds fast in my chest and my lungs burn painfully to get air into them.

In my panic I try to crawl instead, one hand on the floor, then the next, then the legs.

A figure comes rushing into my blurry vision and kneels by me as my vision gives up on me and my world goes black.

In the darkness I have time to think.

I died, no, I’m dead. None of this can be real. I must be in a bad dream. Any time now ill wake up in my bed, my father there in the kitchen making breakfast for me and my brother. Life will make sense again.

I want to believe this isn’t real with every bone in my body and each breath I take. I want to go home.

I’ve never been the kind of guy to be scared, my mother always would call me her brave boy. When I was young she took me to a movie. It was called the blob. She thought it was something it wasn’t and had no idea we had walked into a horror movie.

Even then, with the women on the screen all dressed up and screaming, I wasn’t afraid.

My mother was though. After the movie she took me for ice cream and we laughed over it. She held my hand as we walked home, she even told my father about how brave I was. He smiled and ruffled my hair, telling me I’d grow up to be a real strong man one day.

When I had to go to the doctors for the first time so I could get medicine, a big needle, I wasn’t afraid.

First day of school, first time doing something alone, losing my mother.

I never was afraid. 

Now I wake up alone, in a dark box, with a strange women telling me I’ve died. I’ve never been more afraid in my life.

If this is all real, then what? If this really is 2017, then what?

I’ll never get to see my father again and tell him I love him, I’ll never get to see my brother again and hug him one last time. I’ll never get married, have a family, have kids of my own who I can give the world to.

I’ll never be able to have my dreams come true.

I feel colder than I ever have, like this numbing cold that seeps into my bones and freezes me to my core.

The sinking reality is that I won’t get to have my old life back, for better or worse, this is my life now.

I’ll make a promise to myself, if this really is the end of my old life then I will try to make whatever this is into a new one.

I can’t run from this, I can’t hide. Crying won’t fix it, denying the truth won’t make this any less real.

When I open my eyes I’m yet again somewhere new. This time the walls are a soft amber color. It reminds me of a bedroom.

“You scared me half to fading! Don’t run off like that,” Meenah looks over me and helps me sit up.

“Are you going to talk now?” She studies my face for an answer.

I take a deep breath and look past her to the window behind her, the sun is just rising.

“My names Cronus, Cronus Ampora.”


	3. Name of the beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cronus
> 
> Today I met someone who talks more then they breaths, that and I learn what exactly I am.  
> I still have a lot to learn but at least it's a start.

“Cronus Ampora…good handle,” Meenah pats my back and sits next to me on what looks like her bed. A double bed with light blue covers, mimicking the sea maybe.

“Thanks, sorry about back there,” I rub the back of my neck shyly. Not sure what helped me snap back to my senses now. Maybe that black out time helped more then I though.

“It’s fine bud, you had every right to flip out after I dumped all that cold water on your head,” She nods in understanding.

The way she speaks isn’t too familiar with me, maybe its just her and the way she talks and nothing more. It could be because she is much older then me in terms of demon years, if demon years are things that actually exist.

“So, now that I have my head, can you tell me, slowly, what is going on. I promise I wont freak out as much on you as I did back there.” I half half-heartedly chuckle.

“I’ll hold you to that but truth be told its not me who’s meant to do the explaining.” She crosses her arms and huffs out her nose.

“Who then?” l lean back and mimic her posture.

“Her name is Aranea Serket, she’s an old friend of mine who happens to work with me. Windfang if you ask me,” She chuckles, a bright smile spreading across her face.

“But all in all, she’s a smart girl who knows more about this stuff then I do and would probably be better then me with all this.” She nods as if agreeing with what she just said.

“So, we wait for her then?” I would appreciate knowing what’s wrong with me now but if I have to wait I will. Until then, my stomach tells me I haven’t eaten in years and churns painfully. The sound of it growling is audible.

Meenah looks at me and I look at her after the loud gurgle. A moment of silence before I force a smile.

“Guess its telling me I haven’t eaten in thousands of years,” I exaggerate.

“Probably,” She gets up, the tone of her voice serious.

“Wait, what?” I stand up fast and follow her off into her kitchen. My empty stomaching dropping painfully.

“Have I really been asleep for a thousand years?” I put a hand on her shoulder and she breaks out laughing.

“No, god no,” She turns to me wiping her eyes.

“You’ve probably been asleep for close to fifty years if even that long. I don’t know because I don’t know what year you died. As for your stomach, this is your first real feeding. I would be surprised if you didn’t say you where hungry.” She pats my shoulder.

“First…feeding?” I look at what she removes from her fridge. It’s like a brown tinted bottle with something inside. I can’t tell the colour of the liquid because of the tint of the glass but she hands it to me none the less.

“Yep, drink up bud.” She watches be closely as I lift the open bottle to my lips.

When the first drop touches my tongue I feel this rush of need wash over every cell in my body. It shouldn’t surprise me, I’ve been asleep for who knows how long. Still, something feels wrong when I drink it.

I chug the contents before my brain can tell me what exactly I just drank, I can only pick out that it was cold, thick and salty with a tang of copper.

All at once it hits me that I just drank blood.

At the thought my stomach churns and anything I just drank threatens to come back up. By the way Meenah pulls me so I can be closer to the sink she can also tell this might happen.

“Take deep breaths, in and out. I know it might seem gross but don’t you feel better now?” She rubs my back as I lean over the counter.

Taking a quick check of how I feel, I can tell she is right. The gnawing on my stomach has calmed down to just the lurching. The lurching I caused myself by thinking about what I drank. I do as she asks and breaths slowly. Counting each breath carefully.

“There now, better?” She moves to my side and looks me in the eye.

“Better,” I mumble back and stand up fully again.

This lady better hurry up and get here so she can tell me what’s going on before I have to drink another bottle of that stuff.

Sure enough a knock comes from a door somewhere in the house.

“Think you’ll be ok?” Meenah looks back to direction of the knock before back at me.

“I’ll be fine. Just get the door.” I wave her off.

She pats my back and goes to get the door well I turn my back to the sink and take some deep breaths. Soon I will know what’s going on, why I’m drinking blood, why I feel better of all things from drinking blood.

Listening for a moment I can hear the click of heals on tile, getting closer too.

Turning to face the sound I find Meenah walking back into the kitchen, accompanied by another woman.

She has bright blue eyes that hide behind narrow rimmed white glasses, pale skin covered by a blue dress. Neatly kept, short black hair and white knee socks.

 “Aranea Serket, nice to meet you.” She smiles kindly at me and offers her hand to me.

“Cronus Ampora, it’s a pleasure.” I smile slightly back.

“Let’s go sit somewhere more comfortable well we talk,” she gestures for me to follow her as she walks into the living room.

Meenah smiles at me and leads me along as well. The living room is a nice sized room with lot of furniture. A large black box on the wall along with a few smaller boxes hooked up to it with thick and thin wires. The couches and chairs al look soft with fabric I haven’t seen before.

“Now, Cronus, how much has Meenah told you?” Aranea sits down across from me and crosses her legs.

“She told me I’m not a human any more, that I’m a demon and that I can’t eat normal food any more. Well, she didn’t tell me the last thing but since I had to drink blood I’m guessing that normal food is off the table.” I sit as well, crossing my arms and staying slightly tense.

“Well, she wasn’t lying. You are a demon now Cronus, by the look of your eyes, a violet one.” She smiles kindly but something about her smile is unsettling. Its predatory, just like Meenah but in a different way.

Meenah is like a shark circling a bleeding seal, Aranea is like a spider watching its pray struggling in its web.

“Here it comes, get ready bud,” Meenah leans back and crosses her arms behind her head with a shark like smile.

I look between Aranea then Meenah and sigh.

“I may regret asking but why are you happy that I am a demon? Demons have always been seen as evil little buggers from hell…right?” I look at her and Meenah chuckles as if asking this I have sealed my fate.

“Well I’m glad you asked.” Aranea’s smile widens.

“In some cultures, demons are unclean spirits that are around to cause harm to humans. Others say they are made by the fallen angel, lucifer. Regardless of who you ask the word demon has negative light on it when its really far from the truth.” She gestures with her hands as she speaks, little things here and there.

Meenah looks like she’s going to take a nap.

“The truth is that demons are made by Lucifer but not as minions. He makes them to provide a second chance for a broken soul.” She nods a bit and looks to Meehan. She simply rolls her eyes, the behavior normal to her I guess.

“So, what exactly is a soul and why does it have to be broken for Lucifer to make a demon.” I might regret asking.

“A soul is you, all you are and all you have been. Every reincarnation, every memory from every past life. A ball of light that has been around for longer then any of us can comprehend. They are made up of two parts, the core and the field.” She speaks with a practiced precision as if she’s practiced all this before.

“The core is the main part that holds all the information. It is extremely fragile under the right circumstances. Normally the soul must be strong to survive but if it does get hit just the right way it can break, shatter even. This is only caused by an unnatural death such as murder, suicide and some forms of torture.” She sighs lightly.

“These things will break a soul leaving it unfit for heaven, so they go to Lucifer down in hell. He feels bad for these souls who had their lives taken from them, so he gives them a second chance as a demon. He makes them a new body, gives them some gifts and sends them back to the world to try again.” She smiles slightly at this.

“So, demons are all dead humans who died in a way that broke their soul…” I look to Meenah who’s asleep.

“Precisely. There’s so much more for you to know but for now this is a good start.” Aranea gets up and nudges Meenah till she pushes her away sleepily.

“For now you need some rest, you can stay here with Meenah and I until your on your feet,” She smiles warmly to me and lifts the half asleep Meenah to her feet.

“Come now Meenah, let’s leave him to think.” She pulls the sleepy Meenah away leaving me with so many unanswered questions about what I am.

Letting out a breath I’ll have to take her advice and just take everything one step at a time.


	4. Hidden love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meenah
> 
> In life there are rules you must follow, in the afterlife there are rules too.   
> History will repeat itself soon enough.

“So, toots, you went full windfang on him,” I chuckle and pull my girl into my lap.

“I was just informing him on what he has become, Meenah, you really need to know the difference between informative and talking too much,” She settles into my lap, not fighting me this time.

Her and I are girlfriends if you haven’t caught on yet. Not fully sure what our relationship is other then we feel for one another. 

“Shush girly, its fine. He was shaken up but aren’t we all when we wake up?” I shrug lightly and rub my hands along her leg. 

“Besides, he has an eternity to figure his shit out,” I quiet another rant with a soft kiss. Who cares if I have to bend my neck to get it, kisses are worth it.

“So, when do you intend on telling him the rest of all this then?” She breaks the kiss but doesn’t go far, her nose still touches mine. 

“Over the course of a few days, get him warmed up to the idea of it all.” I mumble since I don’t need to talk at my normal volume around her.

“Then I will follow your guide.” She smiles and moves to sit next to me now. 

“Good to know…” I bite my lip. Something still is bothering me.

“What’s on your mind?” Aranea brushes the hair from my face.

“The hive wont know how to handle him, not after the other eleven of us where found. Its happening all over again.” I sigh softly.

“That is true. We just need to do most of the work and hope they will allow him like they have allowed us.” She cups my face in her hands with that soft smile that I love.

“I have a feeling your right.” I chuckle and hug her close to me.

I might as well explain some history.

When lucifer fell from heaven he fell with twelve angels who became the first broken souls and the first demons. Each of them where given powers over a part of human life.

There’s too much to go over now and really that’s all Aranea’s job. The short of it is that history is repeating itself. The first twelve are being reborn as demons. Its my job to find the last one and with this new boy I think I just have.

As for right now, I could use a bite and it just so happens my girl is right here in my lap. 

Smirking at Aranea, I run my hands up her legs and rest my hands on her thighs. They are so soft under my fingers. Just enough give when grabbed.

“So, I know its late and all but the squirt is in bed already and the house is quiet. Want to make the bed squeak?” I give her my best bedroom eyes. Grabbing her thighs and rubbing them with both hands. 

Getting her to blush is too easy, getting her in bed is a whole other beast. 

“No Meenah, he could hear us and the last thing I want is our reputation being tarnished by…this.” She gestures between the two of us.

We’ve been on again, off again girlfriends for a while now. She tells me its because she doesn’t want her reputation to be seen less of because I’m the one she comes back to. Even with that in mind she keeps coming back to me.

“Aranea come on, I’m hungry.” Instead of the smirk I change to a pout, she can’t turn that down.

“Fine, just no going too far.” She warns and her eyes glow lightly. That lovely cerulean colour that makes me feel calm.

“Thank you, babe.” I purr lightly and kiss her again. 

For us that night is a haze of pleasure and energy. We don’t have fun like this often thanks to the stigma Aranea feels about being with me so I make every second count. I make sure she feels loved and wanted. I make her feel so good she has to cover her mouth to stop her moans.

I wont lie, its good for me too. Just being with her and seeing her and feeling her is enough for me. 

The added plus of feeding off the energy just helps. Demons need energy given off by a soul to survive, only two ways to get it. Drinking blood, and sex. Its better between a demon and a human because the energy is purer but it doesn’t hold the same emotional attachments that doing it with your lover has.

Kankri would go on and on about this but I’m not him. 

For the both of us, Aranea and I, this is as good as a meal. A meal that makes us feel good too, win win situation. 

By the time all is said and done were both naked, sweaty and satisfied. Another thing Aranea wont admit, I satisfy her.

“Told you it would be good.” I roll over to look at my lovely partner.

“That you did” She does the same and smiles lightly. Her face still bright with blush, mine probably is too.

“Now how about you close your sweet little eyes and get some rest. The kid isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Tomorrow you can fill his little head with all the facts you want. I promise I’ll only sleep though half of it.” I pull her to my chest for after sex cuddles. 

“Your lucky I love you.” She purrs lightly and closes her eyes like I asked.

“Love you too doll.” I rub her back as she falls asleep against my chest.

In all my afterlife I never dreamed of a girl like Aranea being part of my life. She helped me come to terms with my death and helped me learn how to move on. Now she makes me smile, even if its in secret. 

Together we will teach Cronus about what he is, bring him into the folds of life as a demon.


	5. Phantom heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cronus
> 
> If you think about it, your memories are phantom images of your past. They could bring back the fond memories of your childhood, they can bring the pain of losing a loved one back into your view. For the dead, its a constant reminder of what we can never get back. Maybe it's best to forget.

_“Come on Cro, you’ve spent an hour in there!” My little brother whines._

_“I have to get this gel out of my hair before bed, Eriden. You know what happened last time I went to bed with it in,” I warn from my place in front of my bathroom mirror._

_“You woke up stuck to the bed, I remember. Dad had to cut you out,” He laughs from behind the door._

_“Yes, hence why I spend my time getting it all out, I don’t want more chopped off,” I grumble._

_“Take all the time you need then.” Eriden huffs._

_“Come on boys, bedtime.” Our dad calls down the hall._

_“Coming,” We both respond._

I wake up on a couch, not my bed. The memory of my brother and I talking feels like it was just a few hours ago, and yet here I am on a couch, no where close to my home.

I sit up to take another good look around, I didn’t move. Still on that couch with patches faded off the places where people most often sit. The arms worn from having arms and hands there. Maybe the occasional butt.

The television across from me is off but the slight hum in the room tells me its pugged in. New hearing helps in this situation.

The hearing also helps me to pick up two heart beats upstairs. One faster then the other, most likely one of my two hosts is awake.

The one thing I can’t hear is my own heart beat.

In the box it was all I could hear, its frantic pounding in my chest was a reminder that I was alive. Maybe now that I know I’m dead its just given up, stopped beating, stopped having a reason to.

I put a hand to my chest in an attempt to feel it.

I only feel my own cold skin.

Letting out a breath I get up, pushing the covers off my legs and leaving them in a heap at the end of the couch.

My stomach rumbles loudly but after yesterday and all the talk about needing to drink blood now I think I can hold off for a while.

Instead I occupy myself by checking out the rest of the house.

It’s a small place, only two floors. A kitchen, a living room and a bathroom on the first floor with a dining table in the kitchen.

A smaller back yard, about only the size of the kitchen. I could stretch my arms out an take it half way up.

The second floor I won’t bother with seeing how my hosts are asleep up there. I guess its just a bedroom and bathroom up there.

I peek outside the front window next, what I see assures me I’m not at home.

Where there used to be cobblestone walk ways and gravel roads now lay slabs of black stone marked with white and yellow paint. Lamps line the edges of this road and are lit with electricity, something we didn’t have in our small town.

Cars unlike anything I have seen sit in front of homes that look similar to the one I’m in.

These cars have bright colours to decorate the outside, much less body showing. Sleek and less box like.

The sun is just starting to come up and I let out another large breath that fogs the glass in front of me. Even if this isn’t my home and this isn’t my time, the sun still comes up. It still looks the same. Still provides the warmth we all need. It, like the stars and the moon, haven’t changed.

The rising of the sun tells me its oh so early. No one in their right minds would be awake right now. I sure wouldn’t be awake at this hour if I was home in bed, but again, this isn’t my home and that couch isn’t my bed.

Instead of torturing myself more by walking around this small place again, I lay back down on the couch and try to remember more of my past.

I close my eyes in the hopes the dream I had before I woke up will keep playing out in my mind.

It does not, instead I’m left looking down a dark hallway. The familiar floorboards of my house under my bare feet. Its so dark I feel I could cut it with a knife.

I feel the spine chilling sensation of being watched, someone is here with me.

I turn to see if I can see who this someone might be, instead I see darkness.

“Stay back,” I stutter.

Footsteps approach me from the dark, thudding onto the warn boards of my floor.

“Stay back!” I speak louder as the thudding picks up, like the figure is now running.

Its footfalls match my racing heart beat, its filling my ears. I back up in a futile attempt to get away.

“Get away from me!” I scream and put my hands out to stop the figure.

“Get a hold of yourself new blood,” A female voice jars me from my sleep.

I sit up fast, fast enough to smack my forehead into that of Meenah.

“Chill out there spazzy,” She rubs her forehead and looks down at me, Aranea behind her.

“What…” I look around in a daze. Lights making the room spin.

“Cronus, you must have been having a nightmare. Do you remember anything from it?” Aranea peeks out from behind Meenah.

“No, not too much, I was in my house. It was so dark the sun could have just burned out. Someone was in there with me.” I rub my arm to sooth the goose bumps that have formed.

“Keep that in mind. That could be how you died. You won’t find peace till you find how you died.” She states, all mater of factually.

“That’s what were for.” Meenah pats my back with a little more force then necessary.

“To help me find out how I died?” I look between the two with the feeling of sleep just leaving my limbs.

“Exactly, were going to find your phantom part and hopefully start from there.” Aranea looks to Meenah.

“And no scaring him half to death.” She scolds.

Meenah laughs and kisses Aranea’s cheek, making a loud smooth sound as she pulls away.

“Just for you, doll.” Meenah winks.

They both look at me now, the predatory air is back.

“So, chef, you ready to see how far the rabbit hole goes?” Meenah smirks menacingly.

“I-I guess so.” I stutter.

“Good, then lets go.” Meenah grabs my wrist and pulls me to the door with all the force of a great typhoon.

Wonder what shit she’s going to force me into.


	6. First flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cronus
> 
> You have to fall before you can fly, and even then it takes a special kind of motivation to spread your wings.

“What’s with all these steps,” I groan as I follow the two women up the third flight of steps. My legs are not used to the use and complain with every step.

“Oh shut it, were going to the roof. There’s no better way to get around then by air.” Meenah chuckles.

“Plus, all demons need to learn how to fly, its just so important to your development.” Aranea pipes in with a cheery tone.

“Wait, hold up. I can fly?” I stop for a moment on the steps.

The two look back at me as if I just asked if I still can breath.

“Yes you can silly, demons have wings. You can’t see them right now because you haven’t shifted. Once shifted you will appear in your true body. The one Lucifer made for you.” Aranea crosses her arms with that know it all tone.

“Sorry, shit, you got defensive.” I roll my eyes and continue up the steps.

“Quite sorry, I just can’t stand for the truth to be hidden from new bloods.” She sighs lightly, and I catch Meenah rubbing her back.

“It’s cool, just odd to hear that not only am I not dead but I can fly too. Just a tad surprising.” My voice drips with sarcasm.

“Shut up already or else ill shove you off the roof myself.” Meenah hisses lightly and hangs back just enough to cuff me on the back of the head.

“Oww, ok fine I’ll shut it.” I grumble but do as I’m told.

The roof door looks old when we reach it. The doorknob rusted brass by the look of it. The door itself, peeling paint that shows the old wood below.

Outside the sun blinds me for a moment, my eyes still not used to so much light after so long in the dark. Little spots dance in my vision for just a moment.

The city all around me is massive, huge sky scrapers that touch the could all the way down to small shops that line the streets. The taller buildings are farther away, deeper in the city perhaps. The small neighborhood we’re in now is filed with a mix of homes, some smaller and some larger then others.

I look over the edge of the roof to find were about three stories up. A jump from this high would hurt, a lot.

“So, why can’t we just walk?” I back away from the edge and look back to my caretakers.

“Because its slow.” Meenah huffs.

“Now, Cronus, I need you to change forms. Watch us.” Aranea folds her hands in front of her.

“Okay, I’m watching.” I cross my arms to observe the two.

Aranea’s form melts away, her clothing staying the same but under it her skin shimmers before it melts down revealing soft gray skin. Her hair remains its length but now two horns jut from either side of her head. One like a hook, the other a claw shape. A barbed tail swings out from behind her, it looks like the barb of a scorpion. It’s segmented as well, giving her a very insect like feel.

The last things that unfold are two large wings that fan out from her back. Outlined with darker gray skin along the bones that bleed into a soft blue along the membranes. The membranes themselves are slightly transparent, enough so that I can see the buildings behind her thought them.

When her eyes open they have changed as well, now a deep yellow. Her iris a vibrant blue.

She smiles at me, showing off newly formed fangs.

“Well? Impressed?” She giggles slightly at me.

My jaw drops, she changed so much in such a short time. Her appearance now something I would call demonic.

“Yes, wow. You look so different now. How did you hide all that?” I mumble out loud.

“Its called the mist, a wall of magic that we can manipulate to hide our forms from others. In time you will also learn how to use the mist and make it work to your advantage.” She looks to Meenah who also is changing.

Meenah has the same soft gray skin as Aranea. The difference comes in her horns, wings and tail. Gills have also appeared on her neck, small slits on both sides of her neck. The skin there tinted a light magenta. Her horns, tall and slender. The same red, orange, and yellow that colour Aranea’s horns. Her tail is close to that of a fish’s tail fin, thicker then Aranea’s and ended with a slightly magenta tinted flipper.

Her wings are a tad less transparent then Araneas’s. They are a dark shade of magenta with a wave like texture. Ruffled as if they where fabric. Her eyes now the same colour of yellow but her irises are the same colour magenta as her wings.

She smirks at me with that shark like grin.

“Your turn, squirt.” She walks slowly to me, stalking me.

“OK, your both mad, I can’t do that.” I back up one step for every step she takes.

“I’ll take that, and you have a choice. Shift now, or go splat on the ground.” She hisses lightly.

I take one more step back and I feel my feet are now against the edge of the roof, no where else to go.

“Look, Meenah, there has to be another way. I’m not ready.” Panic slips into my voice.

“In this world, the strong survive. You learn now or you die. Simple as that. So get to learning.” Her grin only widens as she puts her hands to my chest and pushes me.

My feet slip and I feel the air rush by my face as I fall. A scream stuck in my throat. I close my eyes tightly.

_“Cronus, big brother? Can you read me a bedtime story?”_

That voice, that voice in my head pulls me from panic. I can’t let this be the end, I won’t.

My wings catch the air like a parachute. They slow my fall and when my feet hit the ground I open my eyes.

Looking up, I see Meenah and Aranea looking down from the roof, bright smiles on both of their faces.

“Knew you could do it guppy.” Meenah chuckles.

“Remind me never to trust you again.” I grumble to myself.

I will find out what happened to me, I will find my family. I guess I just needed to fall before I could start.


End file.
